Small Business Saturday draws shoppers to Inland Empire stores

With Black Friday starting on Thanksgiving and bleeding into the weekend and Cyber Monday just ahead, there has increasingly been a movement to bring independently mom-and-pop businesses to the forefront.

Three years ago, the credit card and charge company American Express wanted to help these businesses thrive in the tough economy by starting "Small Business Saturday" during the biggest shopping weekends of the year.

Last year, more than 100 million people came out to shop at independently owned small businesses on the day, according to SmallBusinessSaturday.com.

In keeping with the trend of providing deals, some small businesses like Rhino Records in Claremont and its sister store Mad Platter in Riverside provided incentives for shopping with them.

On Saturday, the two locations were giving their customers 15 percent off of their entire purchase.

Rhino's Claremont store manager said a lot of people typically do their mainstream shopping on Friday, which allows Small Business Saturday shoppers to think outside of where they usually go and think independent small businesses.

"Our owner is passionate about music - this store is an extension of that and what he loves," said Adrienne Scherer, Rhino's store manager.

"And most small business owners are passionate about what they're in business in and you typically don't get that at a corporate place."

Adela Santana started Dela Boutique at the Chino Hills Marketplace Strip because she wanted to share her love for clothing and accessories.

Her 4-month-old shop is a hit with Becky Fowler of Arizona who shops at Dela's every time she visits her sister in Chino Hills.

Fowler and her sister Patty Morillo said not only does Santana have great taste in clothing, she's personable and helps her customers accessorize when it's not their forte.

Santana said she treats her customers the way she likes to be treated when shopping.

"I like my customers to feel comfortable," she said.

A shopper at Kore, the independently owned skateboard shop in San Bernardino, said that in this economy it's important to support these types of small businesses before they go away.

Kore also has locations in Laguna Hills and Westminster. They are the only store in San Bernardino that carries TOMS shoes.

American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes to a child in need, according to toms.com.

TOMS began as a small business in Santa Monica in 2006.

While the skate shop didn't have any Small Business Saturday deals, manager Andres Adame, 21, of Rancho Cucamonga has seen a rise in the movement.

"I remember I would only see something about it online, but now I've been seeing more commercials talking about Small Business Saturday," Adame said.

Moreover, shopping local had its perks.

"There are a lot of reasons for people to shop small and independent, from a greater variety of products to better customer service," said Alyssa Penman, owner and small business advocate of Rely Local in Victorville.

Rely Local is a coalition of locally owned businesses and a hyperlocal marketing company, she explained.

"We try to make it as easy as possible for consumers in the High Desert to find what they need from locally owned businesses and keep the money and jobs here," Penman said. "We use social media, web search, events and grassroots marketing to do this."

Small businesses tend to be more vested in their communities and give back to the local economy, Penman said.

"When it comes to dollars and cents, though, 10 different studies have shown that small, indie businesses provide a great return to their community than national chains or e-commerce sites," she said.

Shopper David Guiles was raised in Redlands but lives in San Bernardino and is a supporter of the Small Business Saturday campaign.

Guiles, 38, his wife and daughter strolled through Sweet Memories in Redlands on Saturday and eventually departed with bags of candy, toys and drinks.

"That is the reason we are here, to support small businesses," he said. "They are the blood of the community. That is what makes a community."

John Maxwell, 66, of San Bernardino, who was shopping on Redlands' State Street downtown, said people don't understand the personal interaction one gets at a small business.

"You get to know these store owners. I miss that," Maxwell said.

"I think people have lost interest and have become numb because of these bigger stores. There is no interaction anymore. That is gone. You used to get that in small stores. That is what I love about small stores. You feel comfortable."

It's a tough economy for any business, but for small businesses getting, a community to know who they are and what they are about is a challenge.

Grace Kam, owner of Coca Bakery Inc. in Claremont, said she can't afford advertising and instead relies on word of mouth for her business to grow.

The store has been in Claremont for two years.

"I'm building my business day by day through my clients," said Kam, who specializes in European cakes and pastries.

Kam says it's about catering to her clients, finding out what they like, dislike and having quality control," she said.

On Friday, Sterling & Co. had a shopper drive from Long Beach to make a purchase at the Redlands store.

The body piercing, jewelry and clothing boutique that targets the younger crowd has been at its State Street location for three years and spent the 10 previous years in the Redlands Mall.

"I think it (shopping local campaign) is a great idea. Anything that helps the local stores is a great idea. It helps the community," said Carlos Mejia, manager.

Sterling & Co. also promotes and displays the work of local artists like purses, poster boards, bracelets, ear rings and National Foodball League, or NFL, logos.

They've become good sells for the shop.

"First, it's because they are local and we want to support the local artists. It could be a good start for them. You never know - they could lead up to being the next big thing," Mejia said.

"This day (Small Business Saturday) will be better than last year. It is not a huge difference but we are making more progress. Little by little, it all counts."